Sunday, January 4, 2009

E4’s home-grown drama series is coming back in January, but with just two of the original cast returning Skins 3 introduces a gang of new faces.

“We're very excited about series three of Skins and feel that our new cast are shining in roles, stories and characters which have been created by young people to a greater extent than ever before,” said executive producer Bryan Elsley.

The Class of 2009 is headed up by the beautiful and elusive EFFY (Kaya Scodelario), returning as the new queen bee.

Kaya's life reads like a Hollywood script: A sixteen-year-old Londoner is cast in an unknown TV show after attending an open call, and her life is forever changed. "I hadn't done much acting," she says of things prior to signing onto the hit U.K. series Skins . Kaya is represented by Curtis Brown.

She’s joined by sweet and kooky best-friend, PANDORA (Lisa Backwell) who keeps the gang together.

The guys are led by the irrepressible and irresponsible COOK (Jack O’Connell - This is England, Eden Lake) a daring and charismatic leader of the gang. His best mates are FREDDIE (Luke Pasqualino) who’s the skateboarding, weed-smoking ‘cool’ one, and JJ aka Jonah Jeremiah Jones (Ollie Barbieri), the master illusionist.

The twins KATIE (Megan Prescott) and EMILY (Kathryn Prescott) are pulling in different directions. One wanting to shed her twin and gain status, the other hanging on, crippled by shyness. Completing the girls is passionate, political and principled NAOMI (Lily Loveless). Finally, THOMAS (Merveille Lukeba), good and honest, he travels from the Congo to set up home for his family, and has to find his feet in a new and strange country.

Together the gang bond as they fall in and out of love and lust, fight one another, compete against each another, and also unite as one.

Series 3 will see guest stars Harry Enfield and Morwenna Banks return as the Stonem parents, alongside new guest appearances from Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, and actors Mackenzie Crook, Sally Phillips and Geoffrey Hughes.

The ten brand new episodes are written by a young British writing team, headed up by Executive Producer Bryan Elsley. Chris Clough is series producer, while series 3 is directed by Charles Martin and Simon Massey. Skins is made by Company Pictures and commissioned by Camilla Campbell for E4/Channel 4.